


dancing

by cautiouslyoptimistic



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:34:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24495808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cautiouslyoptimistic/pseuds/cautiouslyoptimistic
Summary: she realized she was in trouble sometime between alex telling her that she had proposed to maggie and the moment she helped with sending out the invitationsor, kara asks lena to teach her how to dance
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 18
Kudos: 584





	dancing

**Author's Note:**

> this is super super old. repost from tumblr 
> 
> fun fact: I'm a dork who laughed at my own jokes as I reread this

She realized she was in trouble sometime between Alex telling her that she had proposed to Maggie and the moment she helped with sending out the invitations—and by help she meant that she saved Alex and Maggie a small _fortune_ on postage by delivering the invitations herself.

Or perhaps she realized she was in trouble when Alex sat her down one afternoon—many, _many_ months after the Daxamite invasion—and told her that she needed help choosing a song to dance to.

(“Can it be NSYNC?” Kara had asked, laughing when Alex didn’t even acknowledge her question.

“Maggie got all the fun jobs,” she’d muttered petulantly. “Choosing venue and catering is _easy_ but everyone’s going to judge the first song we dance to.”

“I’ll judge if the food isn’t good,” Kara had tried helpfully. Alex didn’t deign to dignify that with a response.)

Though really, she realized she was in trouble when Winn helpfully pointed out that Kara couldn’t dance.

(Normally, Kara would’ve ignored Winn’s input but the fact of the matter was that in this one regard he was unfortunately spot on. He’d gone with her to a few award ceremonies honoring Cat Grant, and she’d spent much of her time trampling over his toes and attempting to make sure Ms. Grant had everything she needed—from the perfectly timed excuse to get away from a chatty Perry White to the sneaky hand gestures that signaled Ms. Grant’s lipstick needed some touching up. Needless to say, Winn kept her at arm’s length during dances after that, cheerfully telling anyone who’d listen that Supergirl had two left feet.

And normally, Kara wouldn’t have _cared_ that she couldn’t dance. It wasn’t her wedding and she certainly wasn’t going to be the one who’d be judged later on in the night. That is, she wouldn’t have cared had it not been for the fact that she’d personally hand-delivered Lena her invitation and had nodded speechlessly when Lena asked to save her a dance.)

Despite what James’ knowing looks and Maggie’s grins would suggest, Kara was _not_ in love with Lena. She made this clarification several times already, to Winn, to Alex, even to that one security guard at L-Corp who always got a dreamy look on his face when Lena walked by (not that Kara blamed him for that, it was hard not to be struck dumb by Lena).

(She actively avoided talking—or even _thinking_ —about it when J’onn was around. She wasn’t too keen on opening that can of worms.

She wondered if that was telling in and of itself.)

It’d only been a year since Mon-El had left. Only been a year since she decided she needed to take some time for herself, turn inward and really focus on her career and being Supergirl, with no other distractions.

“It’s only been a year of every news outlet thinking you and Lena are dating,” Maggie said unhelpfully when Kara vented to her and Alex one afternoon, not quite appreciating the way Maggie looked close to laughing every time she made eye contact.

“We are _not_ dating,” Kara argued weakly.

“Okay. But do you _want_ to be?”

(No. Yes. Maybe. Of course not. _Absolutely_.

How was she supposed to know? She was still trying to figure out how to avoid giggling uncontrollably whenever Lena tossed a few compliments her way.)

“You aren’t helping me,” Kara complained, dropping her head onto the counter, closing her eyes when she felt Alex gently comb through her hair with her fingers. “Your fiancée is mean,” she informed her sister, voice only slightly muffled. Maggie didn’t seem very offended at all, if her laugh was anything to go by.

“Just practice, Kara,” Alex said, and Kara very nearly rolled her eyes at the mirth she could hear in her sister’s tone. “I’m sure you can find someone to volunteer to help you learn, and you’ll sweep the girl right off her feet.”

“I don’t like that expression,” Kara argued.

“Says the alien,” Maggie chuckled, and Kara sat up, only refraining from shooting her future sister-in-law a glare when she noticed a bowl of ice cream being pushed her way. “Eat your ice cream, Kara. Cheer up. You’ve got _months_ before the wedding.”

x

She had three weeks until the wedding.

This wasn’t a problem.

(It was a _huge_ problem.

Winn backed out of helping her after he nearly broke a toe. James refused to even try, claiming that he’d learned his lesson a long time ago, back when CatCo released their special edition of the magazine when Supergirl first came out. J’onn—her best bet—raised his eyebrows knowingly and told her she had to admit the truth before he’d help her.

Maggie kept _laughing_.)

Naturally, as the panic and dread reached critical levels, Kara found herself doing what she always did the moment she felt overwhelmed: she reached out to Lena.

Perhaps less naturally, she reached out as _Supergirl_.

“You look upset, Supergirl,” Lena said with furrowed brows as Kara entered her office, arms crossed tightly over her chest, cape seeming to mimic her mood and flailing listlessly against her back and legs. Where did the dramatic swoosh go? The heroic flutter? (Gone, twirling down the same drain as all her hopes and dreams apparently.) “Something wrong?”

“Not really,” Kara mumbled, rocking back on her heels uncomfortably, never feeling more like _Kara_ in her suit than she did right at this moment. She’d taken down Kryptonians hell-bent on mind control, defeated a crazy queen in battle, dealt with _Cat Grant_ on a daily basis, and here she was, flummoxed and defeated at the mere prospect of bumbling up a dance with the woman she loved.

(So she admitted it. It wasn’t like J’onn was around to give her that smug look of his.)

“Anything I can help with?” Lena asked, looking terribly sincere in her offer, and not for the first time, Kara felt a pang of guilt accompany the familiar affection that swelled in her chest. (She needed to tell Lena the truth, she needed to tell Lena the truth, she _needed_ to tell Lena the truth.) When Kara didn’t respond immediately, Lena took the opportunity to get up and pour herself a drink, clearly attempting to give Kara the time to pull herself together and use her words. It worked. A little.

“Actually, yes. Or at least, I hope you can.”

“Name it, Supergirl,” Lena said as she turned back around, sipping at the amber liquid in her glass rather delicately, one eyebrow raised as she studied Kara. It made Kara’s heart do all sorts of strange things. Like beat faster and harder, fluttering just a tad when Lena’s lips quirked as if she was about to smile.

(Kara really liked her smile.)

“I need to learn how to dance.”

Kara wasn’t exactly met with the response she was expecting—not that she’d really known what to expect, but she…well, she’d hoped she’d get _some_ sort of reaction other than a laugh.

(This was a terrible, terrible idea.)

“Well it seems our Supergirl _isn’t_ as perfect as they say,” Lena chuckled, setting her drink aside and leaning heavily against her desk. “I hear you can sing, but you can’t dance?”

“It’s not that I can’t, I just…look, I need to practice and no one is willing to risk their toes for me. But I figured you’re smart and you could build some sort of robot or something and you wouldn’t _laugh_ though I suppose I was wrong on that—”

“—why do you need to practice dancing?” Lena interrupted, helpfully cutting off Kara’s ramble. “You don’t attend many social events as far as I’m aware.”

“Actually—I—look…it’s an ancient Kryptonian mating ritual,” she finally managed, knowing— _knowing_ —her ears were tinged pink.

“A human dance is?” Lena asked, far more amused than Kara thought she had any right to be. Not only would Kara Danvers make a fool of herself in three weeks time, _Supergirl_ was making a fool of herself right now.

“Do you want to tease me more or will you help?” Kara asked with a sigh, shoulders slumping as her eyes focused on the lights above her. She heard Lena’s breathy little laugh, heard the slight change in tempo of her heart, but before she could refocus her attention and see if Lena looked as ruffled as she sounded, Lena spoke (as calmly and as composed as ever).

“I meant it when I said name it, Supergirl,” Lena said, waving her hand in the air almost disinterestedly. “But I’m not going to build you a _robot_. I’ll help you practice myself.”

“I don’t know if you know what you’re agreeing to.”

“I’m a _Luthor_ , Supergirl. Dance lessons were practically a prerequisite. I’ve stepped on many a toe in my life, it’s only fair that someone gets to return the favor.”

“If you’re sure…” Kara began, stepping forward cautiously when Lena held out her hands. She felt both relieved and annoyed when they were interrupted by an alarm from several bocks away.

“We can start tomorrow,” Lena said, clearly noticing the way Kara’s head was tilted, the way she was listening to the outside world.

Kara nodded and flashed Lena a thankful smile, mistaking the pounding of a heart she heard for her own.

x

In all honesty, Kara hadn’t thought her practice sessions with Lena would become a regular thing. In fact, she hadn’t thought they’d extend past one session. Except as Alex’s wedding drew closer, Kara found herself spending more and more time at Lena’s office or apartment in the middle of the night, practicing the steps and wincing sympathetically every time Lena grimaced.

(She wore heavy boots when they danced together, Kara barefoot and feeling foolish. Yet still Kara somehow managed to fumble the steps and hurt Lena.)

“You have to decide if I’m leading or you’re leading,” Lena laughed during their fourth session, pulling away from Kara and shutting off the playlist Kara had helped Alex make for the wedding. “I think the indecisiveness is half your issue.”

“Well, what do you want?”

Lena raised her eyebrows.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, looking at Kara a little funny. “It depends on who you’re trying to impress with this ancient Kryptonian mating ritual. Are you going to let them lead or will you lead?”

“Why do you say it like that?” Kara asked, flopping onto Lena’s couch as carelessly as she dared. (Once, back in Midvale, she’d launched herself at the couch to get the good seat during movie night, and the next day she and Eliza had to spend several hours searching for more sturdy furniture. The resulting rock-like couches left Alex unamused.) “There was a lot of dancing on Krypton.”

“And I believe you. It’s the Supergirl with a crush part that’s my favorite thing in the world, though,” Lena said, tossing a bottled water at Kara, rolling her eyes when Kara let it hit her square in the chest, pretending she was in agony. “Come on, Girl of Steel. Want to try again or are you done for the day?”

“I think I’m done forever. Humans are fragile and it’s a pain to keep figuring out just how much pressure I can use for each step or twirl. And she’s going to look great. And she _smells_ nice. What if I get distracted and lose focus for even a second?”

“So it’s a girl? Your crush?”

“That’s what you got from all that?” Kara asked, playing with her unopened bottle of water, just for her hands to have something to do. “I’m worried about breaking toes and you’re worried about my date?”

“She’s your date too?” Lena looked _endlessly_ pleased about this little tidbit and Kara wondered just how invested her best friend was in Supergirl’s love life. It was…unsettling…for reasons she couldn’t quite explain. “Will you be wearing your suit and cape too? Intending to mesmerize the crowd?”

“You’re making fun of me.”

“No, Supergirl, of course not. I would _never_.”

“Goodnight, Miss Luthor,” Kara said as she got to her feet, avoiding Lena’s playful smirk.

“See you tomorrow night?” she asked just as Kara reached the window.

She couldn’t help it. Really, she couldn’t.

“Of course.”

x

“Are you _humming_?” Alex asked, bumping her shoulder with Kara’s, motioning towards the food she’d brought. Kara nodded, grabbing her sister by the hands and dragging her towards the center of the room, where she’d cleared out some space, placed a hand on her waist and began to lead. “Are we…are we _waltzing_?” Alex demanded, laughing when Kara just kept up the humming and continued to move them around the room. _One, two, three_ , she thought, unable to help her chuckle when Alex sighed dramatically and pretended to swoon.

“Stop trying to make me laugh, I’ll get distracted.”

“My alien sister is _waltzing_. I can make as many jokes as I want,” Alex informed Kara simply, rolling her eyes when Kara’s humming ceased and she pushed Alex away. “I’ve never been denied a waltz before,” Alex said, pretending to sniffle. “I’m actually a little hurt.”

“Lena’s teaching me,” Kara told her sister stiffly, wanting the jokes to end and not realizing she’d given Alex more ammo.

“Is she also making you listen to Strauss?”

“How did you—”

“Have you been practicing by yourself?” Alex interrupted, looking around at the couches pushed towards the wall. “Oh Kara, you could’ve called me. I would’ve filmed the whole thing and sent it to mom.”

“No! No! Don’t tell Eliza—”

“—she was the one who told you dance lessons might help you with controlling your powers. But you chose _piano_ instead. Who knew all the motivation you’d need was—”

“—okay! Thanks for stopping by! I bet Maggie’s waiting for you. Bye, Alex!” Kara said, pushing her sister as much as she dared towards the door.

She could hear Alex’s laughter all the way down the stairs and even above the revving of her motorcycle.

(Less than an hour later she received a barrage of texts from Maggie, telling her she’d better record herself dancing or else.)

x

“So what is all this for anyway?” Lena asked only a few days before the wedding, head tilted to the side as she studied Kara closely. “Are you receiving a lifetime achievement award or something? Attending a gala? Getting the key to the city?”

“No.”

“Will you give me a hint?” 

“No.”

“Is this for that celebration they’re throwing in Superman’s honor in Metropolis?”

“N—wait. They’re throwing my cousin a party? He was just here last week, why didn’t he tell me?”

Lena blinked, apparently shocked she knew something Kara hadn’t.

“Don’t worry, Supergirl,” she finally said with a charming smile. “I know _all_ about awkward family gatherings. I could give you a few tips.”

x

She’d thought that when the day finally came, when she saw Alex panic over the fact that she couldn’t hide her gun effectively enough (getting it confiscated by Eliza mere minutes before the ceremony) or when she saw Maggie nearly strangle her partner from the precinct, the nerves would settle. She’d be so distracted with Alex and Maggie and how _beautiful_ they looked that she wouldn’t even notice Lena’s breathtaking dress or the fact that her hair was perfectly pinned up or the fact that Eliza hugged her when she noticed her and James offered her his arm and immediately chatted with her and Winn was unceremoniously shoved away by J’onn and told that the best time for geeking out was likely at the reception.

But when the day finally came she found that she had all the time to be distracted by Alex’s downing of two glasses of champagne and Maggie’s sudden realization she didn’t have her badge (and she _needed_ her badge), and still had room to feel her hands grow clammy and her heart to begin pounding and butterflies to erupt in her stomach the moment Lena shot a smile at her from over her shoulder.

Her only respite came at the reception, when she gave her speech and smiled at everyone but only had eyes for her sister and how _happy_ she looked as she gazed at Maggie. For those few moments, Kara didn’t remember the way Lena had looked the night before as Supergirl panicked over dancing, didn’t think about how she laid awake for hours afterwards, hand held to her cheek where Lena had pressed a soft kiss. For those few moments, glass in hand and cards lost somewhere between flying to her apartment and back and informing Maggie that _no_ she did not have her badge, all Kara could think about and see was that her sister had gotten _married_ , that this was the best day of her life.

Unfortunately, the speech had to end. Alex cried and hugged Kara tightly, apologizing under her breath as the music began to play.

It was a waltz.

“We had to,” Maggie said, grinning at Kara. “It meant we had to learn how to waltz, but this is _so_ worth it.”

x

In the end, it was Lena who approached her, not the other way around.

She’d held out a hand and smiled and Kara was helpless to do anything but take it and hope her own hands weren’t sweaty.

Lena, as always, looked incredibly put together, and Kara found herself counting under her breath if only to distract herself from the softness of Lena’s skin under her fingertips, the way she allowed herself to be led even though she’d admitted it was something she chafed at when she’d first begun taking lessons. She counted so that Lena’s wide, knowing smile wouldn’t leave her off kilter and break her concentration. She counted because she worried if she didn’t she’d do something stupid like admit this was _so much_ better than all their practicing, or even worse, kiss her.

But Lena, who seemed to have a knack for throwing Kara off kilter, didn’t seem to have any such reservations.

“Would you believe that dancing is an ancient Kryptonian mating ritual?” she asked, immediately making Kara stumble, stepping hard onto Lena’s foot. Except rather than grimace or wince in pain, Lena looked amused, as if she’d expected such a reaction. “Reinforced steel in the shoes,” she said, pausing long enough to lift her dress slightly and show off her shoes. “Strangely enough, _much_ more comfortable than heels. And I had three weeks to work on it, so it’s not as ugly as those boots.”

“You could’ve said something you know,” Kara said, wrinkling her nose and feeling embarrassed. She wouldn’t admit it aloud—though later J’onn will heave a disapproving sigh—but she was also more than a little relieved.

“But if I had, I wouldn’t have had such a lovely date,” Lena said, chuckling a little when Kara refocused her attention on counting. After a short pause, Kara chanced a look up at Lena’s face, mesmerized by the way her grin turned positively mischievous. “Admittedly, I do miss the cape.” 

Forgetting that they were in the middle of a dance floor at her sister’s wedding, Kara pulled Lena closer. “You know, I was right,” she whispered in Lena’s ear. “You do smell nice.”

This time, it was Lena’s turn to fumble the steps and Kara couldn’t help but take that as a victory.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](https://c-optimistic.tumblr.com) and/or [twitter](https://twitter.com/c_optimistic1)
> 
> also: I've never taken money for fanfic, but if you ever felt the desire to chip in some money for something I've written, consider donating to the ACLU, NAACP, your city's bail fund, etc. only if you have the means to do so of course. and if you do donate, let me know. I can write you a fic in return. stay safe everyone!


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